ONLINE SOCIAL MEDIA posts promoting a sale on “lost parcels” are not genuine, according to An Post, the state-owned postal service.

“Total SCAM,” a spokesperson for An Post told The Journal by email. “One of the many that do the rounds all the time.”

The scam was posted to Facebook by an account called “AnPost”. Despite the name, the account does not have any connection with the state-owned postal service, which has its own verified Facebook page. 

The scam account was created on 21 November, and since then has only posted about the hoax undeliverable packages on sale.

One such scam posted on 21 November reads: “Lost parcels – 2.28 €”

“The logistics company decided not to spend money on the disposal of lost parcels that have not been picked up within 6 months and therefore announces a sale!” it says before directing readers to a website.

That post, and others, are accompanied by images of crates stacked high with products, while signs reading “An Post” and “Sale of lost parcels” can be read in the background. There are numerous indications that these are edited — including the writing not being at the same angle as the signs.

Numerous replies to the post, also in stilted English and from numerous unique accounts, claim to have received self-care products, drones, hairdryers, or various electronics, all after spending just €2.28.

“Our advice to customers is always very clear,” an An Post spokesperson told The Journal. “Do not click on any direct links purporting to come from An Post.”

The spokesperson also confirmed that An Post does not sell undeliverable packages. “An Post does everything possible to get undeliverable parcels back to the original sender,” they wrote.

“If there are no sender’s details on the package, we even open them in a secure environment in the hope of finding a clue as to the sender. That is why we beg customers to always include a Return address on every package or parcel.

“We keep undeliverable parcels for 3 months in the hope that the sending customer will get in touch with us and our detectives can link them up with the item… And after 3 months or so, we donate parcel contents to a charity designated by the umbrella body over all the charity shops.

“They decide on a new recipient every year. Everything else is recycled or disposed of securely.”

An Post said that people concerned about staying safe online should visit anpost.com/security.

The Journal has previously debunked similar scams, including ones that falsely said Dublin Airport is clearing out its warehouse by selling off unclaimed suitcases, as well as about “mystery boxes” supposedly being sold by Currys.

The Journal has also debunked scams on Facebook featuring edited photos and videos of celebrities supposedly getting into trouble for revealing cryptocurrency schemes, as well as scam missing persons posts that used real images of dead people and injured children.

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